Timber Exec and Political Newcomer Bill Driscoll Announces Run in WA-6

Share this:

On Monday, Washington native Bill Driscoll, a veteran of both the Marine Corps veteran and the timber industry, announced his candidacy for the open seat in Washington’s 6th Congressional District.

Driscoll—a great-great grandson of Frederick Weyerhauser who founded the Weyerhauser Company in 1901—becomes the latest Republican to throw his hat into the ring in an election that took on new significance for the GOP after 18-term Democratic incumbent Norm Dicks announced last month that he would not seek re-election at the end of his current term.

Currently, Derek Kilmer is running as the sole Democratic heir apparent for Dicks’ congressional seat, and one of the more exciting aspects of Driscoll’s candidacy is his pledge to plant $500,000 of his own money into the campaign, a booster shot of early cash that could help him catch up after getting in the race this close to the filing deadline.

vital seed in a race that is getting increasing attention from Republicans in Washington State and Washington, D.C.

Here is the text of Driscoll’s official announcement:

TACOMA, WA — Bill Driscoll, a Marine Corps veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, a leader in the forest products industry, and a lifelong Republican, today announced his candidacy for Congress in Washington’s 6th District.

“Career politicians have had their chance and failed,” said Driscoll. “It’s time for new leaders who’ll rise above partisan bickering and demand results.”

In 2006 Driscoll set aside his business career, volunteered to rejoin the U.S. Marine Corps, and served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. 18 Years after leaving the Corps, Bill chose to put his uniform back on because he saw the toll repeated long deployments were taking on the men and women of our armed forces, and he knew he could help.

This same commitment to step up and serve is why Bill Driscoll is running for Congress.

“In Congress, I will focus on real job growth, balancing the federal budget, providing a strong national defense, and keeping our promises to those who’ve served our country in uniform,” said Driscoll. “Politicians talk about these issues all the time, but I learned in business and the military that results are what matter.”

Driscoll explained his decision to invest some of his own money in his campaign.

“Senator Kilmer has a head start in this race. By the end of March he had already raised more than $350,000 in special interest money, and at that rate we estimate that he’s approaching half a million dollars by now,” said Driscoll. “I’m investing $500,000 in my campaign, which should bring us even with Senator Kilmer. The rest of my campaign will be funded by individual donations, but now that we’re on equal footing let the best candidate win.”

The great great grandson of Frederick Weyerhaeuser who founded the Weyerhaeuser company in 1901, Bill is proud to have worked in the company and other forest products firms over the last 20 years.

Bill and his wife Lisa live in Tacoma. Lisa is a professor at University of Washington Tacoma, specializing in China and teaching in the Urban Studies Program as well as serving as Special Assistant to the Chancellor for Community Engagement. The couple has two children, John Saul age three and Anna, almost 3 months old.

Share this:

Related

Bryan has been writing about local and national politics since 2008. In addition to writing for The Northwest Daily Marker (nwdailymarker.com) – the digital journal of politics he launched in 2011 – he has been published by American Thinker, Crosscut, Red State and the Everett Herald and explosive stories broken by The Northwest Daily Marker have generated headlines in regional, national and international major media.
Bryan is a lifelong Washingtonian and a proud University of Washington alumnus.